Small Boat Forum

Jim Thayer's Nina on Lake Powell...

Great picture of Jim Thayer's Nina on Lake Powell last October, (pic taken by Dennis Bradley). Jim, can you give us a rundown on this nifty Beach Cruiser? Length, Beam, Dry Weight...How does she sail? Row? Did you design and build her? Thanks in advance for the comments... "Sail Fast---Live Slow"

NINA (like Columbo's boat} was designed as a beach cruiser back in the heyday of the westsail when double enders were hot. She is 15' x 5' 8" and has very little deadrise, which makes her very stiff. she rows well and is deep enough so that you can row her standing facing forward. Works well for a change of pace or in close quarters. I have never gotten around to make any internal moldings. I just fit her out with lockers all around for storage and seeting. The cb trunk is built into the frong of the locker and so is out of the way. Being 8" off center doesn't make any difference.

Dennis and I slept aboard in Baja and were quite comfortable. Shs's a dandy boat.

NINA as a Colin Archer ancestry Westsail style mini cruiser... My Aunt Cynthia used to say " Better keep that. What's old now will soon again be new..." For the LOA & Beam she appears to be a 'big' little boat. I like the inherant initial and under way stability with the ability to enough carry gear to make Beach Cruising sort of comfortable... Jim, what is your guess as to the all up weight of NINA when she is sitting on a trailer? What length oars work to move NINA by arm power? Got any more hulls lurking in the bushes looking for a home? "I think Boat Nuts are not in heaven on earth untill they have about... 6 boats!" says my friend Cap't Nance. Jim, thanks in advance for the comments... AND anybody else who would like to jump in and post!

One of dozens of fine pictures by Dennis Bradley of the '00 KOKOPELLI MEET, and put up on Jay Lepreau's great website. See them at this windy address: http://www.cs.utah.edu/~lepreau/kokopelli/dennispix/ Yes, Jim, please do tell us of NINA...Toot your own horn a little, here. I am also interested in your telling of how it went with building and using the Robb White style spars and Romeley rig. Your rigging style and trailer preparedness are widely known, yet I saw no breakdown reports (from you) in the story in March 15 MAIB.

It looks like each of the people and boats at this last Kokopelli was worth a story on thier own... A week camp-cruising on Lake Powell with a Laser? Or a delicate little decked sailing canoe? Never mind the EGRET style boat and so on. Come on, you guys, spill your stories, and plump up SBF while Thom slowly works up the other end of this promising small boat place. Sluggards like myself draw inspiration from your activities and reports.

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